It was a bright sunny day in 1998. Many Bear fans expected
Paul Tagligbue to step to the podium and announce the Chicago Bears had traded
the 5th pick in the draft for several picks in the first round. Picks that
could have been Pro Bowlers Grant Wistrom, Fred Taylor, or Randy Moss. Instead,
Commissioner Tagligbue announced that the Chicago Bears, with the fifth pick in
the 1998 draft, selected Running Back Curtis Enis of Penn State. As Enis
stepped to the podium, donning his new Chicago Bears cap and beaming from his
brace-filled mouth, I threw a (soft) item at the television. I couldn't believe
my eyes. As the 2001 draft is upon us, loyal Bear fans are praying that we
don't see a repeat of the organization's performance in the first round on
April 18, 1998.

As a result of a dismal 4-12 season in 1997, the Bears held
the fifth pick in the 1998 draft. This was the highest the team had drafted
since 1982. With that pick, the team selected Jim McMahon, and getting anything
close to the Punky QB would be a triumph. In '98, two of the highest touted
prospects were Enis and Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss. Unlike the 2001
draft which figures to be wide-open, in 1998 everyone knew exactly how the top
five picks would fall. Quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were sure to
go numbers one and two. Defensive end Andre Wadsworth was sure to go third,
followed by Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson of Michigan. To the Bears
credit, Curtis Enis was the consensus fifth-best player in the draft, and
everyone agreed upon this. In February of '98, Chicago signed Edgar Bennett,
the durable, all-purpose running back from Green Bay. Most figured this would
remove them from the probability of drafting a running back, which left the
pick wide o pen.

So in March of '98, it was assured that both Enis and Randy
Moss would fall to the Bears at #5. In his first year as VP of Player
Personnel, and directing his very first draft, Mark Hatley coveted either
Wadsworth or Leaf. Indeed, Chicago needed either a quarterback or a pass
rusher. It has been rumored that Hatley and coach Dave Wannstedt offered
Arizona a trade of Chicago's 5th pick, plus Curtis Conway and Alonzo Spellman
in an effort to trade up for the number 2 selection. The Cardinals instead took
San Diego's first and third round selections, plus their 1999 first rounder and
additional players to move up to #2 to take Leaf. Thankfully, this didn't work
out for the Bears, as three short seasons later, both Leaf and Wadsworth have
been absolute busts in the NFL. After the unsuccessful attempt to trade up, the
Bears turned their attention to Moss and Enis.

Chicago had both Moss and Enis in for a personal interview and evaluation in
March. The Bears started to take the question of character very seriously after
the problems they had had with Brian Cox and Alonzo Spellman over the last
several years. Enis and Moss' interviews in Chicago were in sharp contrast to
each other, as their NFL careers have been. Moss visited first. The 6' 4"
standout was pegged as possibly the best wide receiver that would ever play in
the NFL, and he was not shy to tell teams they would be sorry if they passed on
him. However, the Marshall product had been arrested twice on battery and drug
charges, and most every team in the NFL was wary of investing first-round money
in him should he have another brush with the law. To make matters worse, while
he was in Chicago, Moss missed a breakfast meeting with Bears representatives
because he wanted to sleep in. With the lingering questions about his
character, this behavior sealed his fate in the eyes of the Chicago Bears.

In absolute contrast, Curtis Enis played the golden boy role
while in Chicago for his visit. He spoke very soft to the Chicago media,
telling everyone what an honor it would be to play for the Bears organization,
his hero was Walter Payton, etc. Enis was not without a questionable past-just
three months earlier, he had been suspended from Penn State's bowl game for
accepting a bribe from an agent. As it has been reported on a Chicago sports
talk station, venerable coach Joe Paterno at Penn State called Enis a "con
man". Regardless, Hatley and the Bears were impressed by Enis' personality as
well as his skills.

As the draft approached, it still was widely reported that the
Bears would not take Enis, but would trade down. There were MULTIPLE holes to
fill on this team, and several great running backs available past Enis in the
first round in Florida's Fred Taylor and Georgia's Robert Edwards. Other urgent
Bear needs were wide receiver and defensive line, and possibly Moss could be
picked up later along with a running back or defensive lineman if they traded
down.

Plenty of other teams were drooling for Enis, and several had
multiple picks to trade. St. Louis had the sixth pick, and desperately wanted
Enis to replace the troubled '96 pick Lawrence Phillips. Jacksonville was
dangling the ninth and 25th picks, and New England had picks 18 and 22 and was
interested.

On draft day, the first four picks fell exactly as planned. As
the Bears went on the board for the fifth pick, it has been reported that there
were a flurry of phone calls to Halas Hall. Jacksonville's Tom Coughlin
reportedly was the last person to stay on the line with Mark Hatley, urging him
to trade the pick for Jacksonville's two first-rounders. Hatley stood firm, as
he wanted additional picks or players for the fifth selection. Coughlin would
not budge, and Hatley was eager to prove he was not a pushover in this his
first draft. Several minutes later, Chicago selected Enis. Even the experts
covering the draft festivities couldn't believe the Bears took Enis, and
predicted they would trade him before the day was over.

Looking back in 2001, it is a sad epilogue on the '98 draft
for the Chicago Bears. Curtis Enis rushed for an average of 450 yards per
season in his three years in Chicago, and was not re-signed even as a
restricted free agent this year. Immediately after the Bears pick, St. Louis
selected pro bowl defensive end Grant Wistrom, a position the Bears are still
trying to fill. Jacksonville and New England nabbed 1,000 yard rushers in Fred
Taylor and Robert Edwards. Even worse, Enis and Moss emerged as complete
parallels in their NFL careers. Moss, whom the Bears considered a character
risk, signed quickly with Minnesota and earned Rookie of the Year honors for
the 1998 season. The mild-mannered midwestern kid Enis turned into "Sybill" the
bust, with more strange personalities than rushing yards.

Luckily in rounds two and three Chicago landed hard-hitting
safety Tony Parrish and unruly center Olin Kreutz. As Curtis Enis embarks on
his second career with Cleveland this season, all eyes in Chicago will be
wondering which personality will show up for the Browns each Sunday.

Fact

Enis seemed to possess three different personalities in as many seasons in
Chicago. In 1998, after finally signing and showing up to camp, he was a
highly religious, quiet, dedicated husband and father. The following year
he had dropped 40 pounds, and pulled into camp in a Hummer, wearing a bright
orange jumpsuit looking straight out of maximum security. In 2000, he was
back to 240 pounds and resigned to play fullback for the season.

Further Reading

Tidbits

Despite being suspended for Penn State's 1997 bowl game for improprieties with
an agent, Enis played the act of model citizen before the '98 draft.

New England, Jacksonville and St. Louis were reported to be interested in
trading up with the Bears to take Enis.

He was injured in his first start for the Bears, against St.
Louis in 1998.

Dick Jauron's staff urged Enis to slim down to around 210
pounds for the 1999 season, to assist his effort in coming back from the torn
ACL. He did rush for almost 1,000 yards in 1999, but lost was the
bruising style that made him a standout at Penn State.

It is reported that Enis turned down a six-year, $18 million
contract as a rookie to sign a three-year $5.5 million deal. He figured
he would prove his worth for a bigger contract following year three. By
the end of year three he was out of the NFL.

A 2005 Chicago Tribune article placed Enis currently
working the night shift at an Ohio garage door factory. He did not make
himself available for the story.